Werewolves of London
by HollywoodVampire
Summary: Remus is becoming moody again, irritble, and any day now he'll make up another excuse for his absence from class. But Sirius, James, and Peter are not going to take it, they're going to find out were Remus goes every month, and why.
1. Moody Moony

**Authors note: Hello, I really hope you enjoy this, its been bugging me for quite a while. Just a little note, I don't really know if Second years can have Arithmancy, but Remus does so there. Ciao**

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The library was busy, far busier then it normally was, and this made for an annoyed Sirius.

"It's hard enough finding you in here when you're alone, it's near impossible when half the school decides to suddenly become smart." He complained, finding a seat next to Remus.

"Thank you so much for pointing out my lack of individuality." Remus said, pulling out a rather large, leather bound book called _Magical Creatures: Which ones to beware_

"You're welcome; now please explain to me why there are so many of you here." Sirius said.

"So many of me here?" Remus questioned, looking up from a page entitled _Nocturnal Creatures. _

"Yah, you book worm types." Sirius replied, pointing at a group of Ravenclaws that were huddled around a large, dusty, volume.

"Good question, it could be the weather, some freak alignment of the planets, or the fact that term finals are tomorrow." Remus said, his words dripping with sarcasm.

"Oh, right. So why are you reading that book? Second years don't have Care of Magical Creatures. And even if you managed to get in there at your age, I highly doubt the test would be on _The deadliest creatures on earth._" Sirius said, pointing at the page Remus had recently flipped to

"For you're information, I am not reading this book for an exam. It's for an extra credit report Professor Hichens assigned." Remus explained sounding annoyed. "And I would appreciate it if you would leave me alone." And with that, he snapped the book shut and walked away, leaving a confused Sirius in his wake.

"What was that all about?" A voice drawled behind him. Sirius turned around and came face to face with Severus Snape.

"Oh, hello Snivellus." Sirius greeted cheerily. "That was nothing, a simple fight between friends. But I suppose you wouldn't recognize that, seeing as you don't have any." Snape's eyes narrowed and Sirius got the distinct impression Snape wanted nothing more than to blast him across the room, only the fact that there were to many witnesses held him back.

"Hmm, interesting that Lupin seems to get rather touchy around this time every month, isn't it?" Snape asked; an evil glint in his eye.

"I have no idea as to what you might be referring to, Snivellus, and I'm sorry to say I must be leaving now." Sirius replied, and turned on his heal, not completely trusting himself to hold back from jinxing Snape on the spot. The fact was he had noticed Remus' routine mood swings and the family tragedies that happened regularly, so had James and Peter. They had decided not to pressure Remus into telling them, but it still stood that something was going on with their friend, and Sirius was dying to know what.

He contemplated Remus' sudden outburst in the library as he made his way back to Gryffindor tower. It didn't make sense for Professor Hichens, the Arithmancy teacher, to assign a paper on magical creatures. Sirius figured Remus picked a subject Sirius wasn't in as an excuse for his interest in creatures. Sirius struggled to remember exactly what was on the page Remus was reading, and all he turned up was that it was extremely fine print. He had never been one for books, his knack for spell casting accounted for him not having to reading them, and when you practically needed a magnifying glass to read something, it usually turned him off. He sighed and trudged up the stairs until he reached the portrait of the fat lady, he was about to give her the password when he caught something out the window.

The Whomping Willow, a devilish tree that would split you in half if you so much a stepped within ten feet of it, was being abnormally active, waving its thorn encrusted branched madly. He stepped closer to the window and peered out. Three students, appearing to be trying a shortcut to Care of Magical Creatures which was held in the large courtyard near the forbidden forest, were attempting to pass the giant tree. The tree itself, which was planted just at the beginning of last year, had been put in what had served as a main thoroughfare to many classes. Its presence was not only inconvenient, but highly dangerous. Sirius himself had almost been killed by it when he found himself late for History of Magic.

He watched as one of the students bolted past the tree, wand at the ready. They managed to get past the trees first attempts to hit him but on of the branches got them from behind and sent them sprawling. Luckily, they managed to crawl the rest of the way when the tree was distracted by the next student's attempt. This one was a girl, identified by her long brown hair that whipped wildly behind her as she rushed forward, running in a zigzag pattern. She apparently sensed the trees oncoming attack as she lunged forward and out of reach. The remaining student, looking apprehensive, hesitantly stepped forward and Sirius knew they were doomed. The Willow caught them from behind and whipped them across the lawn. They landed hard a few feet away, clutching their backside. Their friends rushed over to help them and dragged them away from the murderous tree.

"Bloody plant, I hope some one runs it over." Sirius mumbled as he walked back over to the portrait of the fat lady.

"'Bout bloody time!" She huffed. "Keep me waiting while you go sight seeing." She continued to complain after she'd swung open, letting Sirius enter the common room.

"Hey there Sirius," James greeted as he walked over from his place at the window, a grin plastered on his face. "What's up with Remus?" He whispered once he'd reached Sirius. Sirius looked up and saw Remus sitting at a table in the corner, his nose stuck in a book.

"I dunno. I asked him why he was reading that book and he flipped and stormed off. Drew Snape's attention and the git tried to get me to tell what was wrong." Sirius explained. James nodded and walked with him up to the second year's dormitories.

"I wonder which Lupin is going to die this month." James commented as he plopped on his bed. There was no malice in his voice, just concern. Sirius gave what could be considered a laugh, but was otherwise silent as he crawled into his own bed. It was true Remus seemed prone to death and illness in his family, and some members had even died twice, a fact no one pointed out, but Sirius wondered why Remus was lying about where he went every month. He would have thought, even though they'd only known each other not even two years, that they could trust each other.

Sirius thought back to when they had first met, on the Hogwarts express. James had been sitting in a compartment by himself, idly flicking pieces or parchment at the window, when Sirius joined him. They had met before, once and a while they're paths would cross in Diagon Alley or somewhere like that, but they had given each other nothing more than a polite nod as they went on with their business.

"_Can I sit here? Everywhere else is full." Sirius said, and James happily agreed. _

"_You're Sirius Black, right?" James asked, and Sirius nodded, expecting an act of comprehension. The Black family name was a prominent pure-blood name that had either gained the respect, or struck fear, in the Wizarding world. Much to his surprise though, James didn't say a thing, but simply smiled warmly._

"_I'm James Potter." He stuck out his hand for Sirius to take, which he did gratefully. _

"_Um…excuse me." A quiet voice said from the doorway. James and Sirius turned to see a short, plump boy with blondish hair. "I was wondering if I could sit here." He had obviously expected a no as he blinked in surprise when Sirius nodded and said yes._

"_Thank you so much, every one else said no." He revealed sadly._

"_Well, then everyone else is stupid." James said firmly. "What's you're name?" _

"_Peter Pettigrew." Peter told them softly, his voice didn't seem to go louder than a whisper. The three of them had sat and talked as they waited for the train to start, when Remus walked into the compartment._

"_Can I sit here?" He asked, a hint of nervousness in his voice._

"_Sure." James answered, scooting over to give Remus room. Sirius helped Remus with his trunk and then he had sat down silently._

"_What's your name?" Sirius asked and Remus looked up._

"_Remus Lupin." He said before staring at the ground again. James frowned and waved a hand in front of his face._

"_Are we that ugly you can't even look at us?" He inquired._

"_No." Remus replied shortly. _

"_Is it just Peter that's ugly?" Sirius asked, and James tried not to laugh._

"_No." Remus said again. _

"_Well don't let us bother you then." James said, giving up on engaging Remus in conversation. It took Remus half the train ride to talk again._

"_What a Chocolate Frog?" James asked, offering one to Remus, a couple of hours later._

"_Sure." He answered and unwrapped the candy. The frog jumped out of the box and attempted to escape out the compartment door, but Remus was too quick and shut the door. The frog gave a croak of protest and hopped towards the window. James and Sirius went for it at the same time and ended up smacking heads, while the frightened frog jumped onto Peter, who tried to shake it off. The frog, having broken the usual 'one jump' rule, had no more energy and fell off Peter's shirt. James picked it up and handed it to Remus while he rubbed his sore head. _

"_Bloody thing." Sirius mumbled as he climbed back into his seat. Remus broke out into a smile which dissolved in to laughter._

"_What?" Sirius asked irritably._

"_That--was--hilarious." Remus managed between peels of laughter. After that, the four became inseparable._

"What're you thinking about Sirius?" James asked, bring Sirius back to reality.

"Oh…nothing." He lied and sank back on his pillows. It grew darker outside and Peter and Remus found their way to the dormitory to go to sleep, along with Gregory Perkins and Fredrick Flatt, the other two Gryffindor second years. Within minutes, soft snoring could be heard and Sirius slowly drifted off to sleep with the nearly full moon shining through the window, while Remus lay awake. Full moon was only two days away and the only reason he wasn't at the Shrieking Shack already was because of the exams tomorrow. He was exhausted, irritable, and nervous. He wanted to tell his friends about his 'little problem' but he was so very afraid they would shun him away like a freak. He sighed and rolled over; a beam of moonlight fell on his face. If only he could tell them he was a werewolf.

**Note: Pease review!!!! If you review I'll update sooner!!! And give you cookies!!!!**


	2. You have no idea what I am

**A/N: Hello! Sorry it took me so long to update! R&R**

**Disclaimer: Do not own**

"Rise and shine Remus!" Sirius yelled as he threw a pillow at his slumbering friend. Remus jerked awake and glared at Sirius, who returned the look with a smirk.

"Jeez Remus," James said as he pulled on his shirt. "I would have thought you'd be awake by now, studying. Isn't today like Christmas for you?"

Peter laughed quietly, along with Sirius, as Remus ignored the last comment. Of course he normally would have been awake and holed up in the library at this time, but the wolf inside him made him incredibly tired and he found it difficult to stay awake long enough to get dressed.

"So, how shall we try and cheat this time?" James asked as the group made their way towards the great hall for breakfast.

"How about studying?" Remus suggested. James and Sirius looked at him like he had said something impossible.

"What is this thing of which you speak?" Sirius asked with a serious look on his face. Remus managed to smile as he brushed the hair out of his eyes.

"You know, read the words on a page? String them together to form words and sentences?" Remus started to feel more like his old self when he was joking around and James, Sirius, and Peter noticed.

"There is the Remus Lupin we all know and love!" James commented, slinging an arm around Remus' shoulders. "Did I mention how good that robe looks?"

"I'm not helping you cheat." Remus said. James sighed.

"Why not?"

"Because then you won't learn anything and will end up like Mr. Filch."

Just as Remus said this, the old caretaker walked around the corner with his sly cat, Mrs. Norris, ambling along at his side.

"Sirius, how many subjects do you think we can cover in an hour?" James asked in mock panic.

"Not enough; come on!" Sirius said and they pretended to run in the general direction of the library.

"Seriously Remus, we have more talent in one finger than Filch has in his entire body." James said as they rejoined the group. Remus nodded, agreeing, and they all found a spot at the Gryffindor table.

"Hey, look. Snape is doing some last minute studying." James said, pointing at the Slytherin table. Remus turned around to see Snape leaning over a book, absently grabbing a piece of bread and buttering it. He began moving his hand towards his mouth without really looking.

"Hey Snape!" James yelled loudly. Snape looked up, surprised, and missed his mouth. The bread hit his face and butter smeared across his cheek. Everyone started laughing and Snape's pale face turned bright red.

"Hey, Snivellus, you have a little something on your cheek." Sirius shouted. The hall broke out in even more laughter as Snape rushed out, his arms laden with his books.

"Quite." Came the soft call from the front table. The hall immediately went silent as all heads turned towards the headmaster.

"Now, term finals are today. Some of you may be a bit unprepared, but you needn't fret. As long as you try that is all we can ask." Professor Dumbledore said, holding up his hands to maintain silence. "I hope I don't have to remind you of the rules for finals. All students will be checked for any materials that may aid them in these trying times and if anything should be found it will be confiscated until further notice."

Remus had the distinct impression that Dumbledore was looking at James and Sirius when he said this. They noticed that as well and gave a little half shrug.

"What can we say?" James said quietly, smirking. Dumbledore continued speaking for a few minutes before he clapped his hands and breakfast appeared on the table. Remus grabbed anything he could get his hands on and started shoveling everything into his mouth.

"Are you alright?" Peter asked, eyeing the other boy suspiciously. Remus grunted before grabbing a glass of pumpkin juice.

"Remus, do you mind taking a breath?" Sirius asked. Remus didn't answer as he continued eating, his wolfish hunger getting the better of him. The other boys stared at their usually shy and quite friend as he grabbed even more food.

"How are you planning to cheat this time James?" A melodic voice asked from behind Remus. Lily Evans was standing with her friends Courtney Halstrom and Heather Kensington, all carrying their books.

"Why, do you want in?" James asked with a flirtatious smile. Lily rolled her eyes as she sat down between Sirius and Remus.

"Hardly, I came here to talk to Remus." She turned to look at him and stopped. Remus looked up and smiled weakly, managing to swallow his mouthful of food.

"Sorry, I'm hungry." He apologized.

"It's alright. I was wondering if I could borrow your notes on the history of Elfish warfare. Heather was trying a fire spell for charms class and burned mine." Lily looked pointedly at the other girl who blushed slightly.

"Of course," Remus bent over to look through his bag. A few seconds later he pulled out a roll of parchment and straitened up.

"Here you go." He reached out to hand it to Lily and accidentally hit his glass of pumpkin juice, sending its contents flying and spraying Lily with the sticky substance. Lily jumped back into Courtney who fell over into Heather, who knocked over a Ravenclaw's cup of water which spilled onto everyone in its vicinity.

"Nice going Remus." James said as he threw Lily a napkin. "Could you get anymore people wet?"

"That's Remus for you." Sirius added. Peter laughed and stood up to help Heather and Courtney.

"I'm sorry. I guess I'm just clumsy." Remus said through gritted teeth. James stopped pelting Lily with napkins to look at Remus, as did Sirius and Peter.

"You know we're just joking don't you?" Sirius said. Remus smiled sarcastically as he stood up and grabbed his bag.

"Of course I do. Everyone always jokes about little Remus Lupin." And with that he turned on his heel and stormed off.

As he walked down the hall, Remus mentally scolded himself for going off like that. Once the full moon was over things could go back to normal, but until then he needed to control his aggressive behavior. He couldn't keep blowing up at his friends like that.

The halls were empty except for a few stray ghosts who paid no attention to Remus as he walked towards the hospital wing. His first class was Charms across the castle so he quickened his pace. Once he reached the tall oak doors leading into the infirmary he knocked twice before entering.

"Yes, what is it-oh, hello Remus." Madame Pomfrey greeted, standing up from her desk. "What can I do for you?"

"Can I have a little of that tranquilizing potion? If I don't calm down I feel like I'm going to bite someone's head off." Remus explained. Madame Pomfrey nodded and walked into her office.

"I needn't remind you of the side effects this can cause?" She said as walked back out and began pouring him a very little amount of the purple liquid. "It creates extreme drowsiness, and pair that with finals, I'll be surprised if you can stay awake long enough to write your name. I still don't see why Dumbledore won't let you take these tests at a different time."

"Because that would raise suspicions, Poppy, and Mr. and Mrs. Lupin were very clear on keeping Remus' little secret under wraps."

Remus turned around to see Professor Dumbledore standing in the doorway.

"Albus. I didn't mean-" Madame Pomfrey attempted to apologize but Dumbledore held up his hands.

"It's quite alright. When I saw young Remus leave the great hall he seemed to be under great stress. Is everything alright?"

"Yes. It's just full moon is tomorrow and I'm a little worse for the ware and the wolf." Remus said. Dumbledore looked at him knowingly and his eyes sparkled behind his half moon spectacles.

"Sometimes, when life seems impossible to bear, having others to help you may be the best course." He explained.

"I'm not sure what you mean Professor." Remus lied, knowing full well what the headmaster meant.

"Friends are rare things, Remus, they can be trusted." Dumbledore said before walking gracefully out the door with his robes billowing behind him.

"He's a good man that Dumbledore. The best headmaster this school has ever seen." Madame Pomfrey said, handing Remus the potion. "Drink up."

Remus did and flinched as the fowl liquid went down his throat. He gratefully took the glass of water Madame Pomfrey offered him and tried to mask the horrible taste.

"Good luck on your finals today!" Madame Pomfrey called as Remus left.

Some people may consider Madame Pomfrey to be a bit crass, and Remus understood that. If you went to the hospital wing with wounds because of a fight or a duel, she would give you a lecture while fixing you up. But if you went with a viable excuse like a backfiring wand or being a werewolf she was much nicer. Remus knew that classes were about to start and began to jog towards Charms. He hadn't worked this hard to stay for finals just to be late for his first class.

"Well, well, well, not feeling well today are we Lupin?" Came a low voice from behind Remus.

"Buzz off Severus." Remus snarled. Snape seemed surprised but got over it quickly.

"You seem very moody today, are you alright?" He asked in mock concern.

"How could you tell I was moody when out were running out of the great hall?" Remus replied. Snape narrowed his eyes and took a step closer, letting his greasy hair fall in front of his face.

"I know what you are. You're a filthy little mudblood, weasel and you and your little fiends find pleasure in bringing others pain." He snapped. Remus' wolf took over and he grabbed the front of Snape's shirt, pulling the other boy closer.

"You're confusing me with you. You have no idea what I am." Remus snarled, and then he flung Snape across the hallway. The Slytherin was taken aback by this sudden outburst and stared gaping at Remus.

"Well Lupin, so this is the real you." Snape said as he pulled out his wand. Remus did the same and the boys circled each other.

"_Expelliarmus._" Snape shouted and Remus' wand shot out of his hand.

"Not much for dueling are you? It's one thing to know the spells and quite another to know how to use them." Snape sail with a cocky grin on his face.

"You're quite right. But at least I know what to do when I lose my wand."

"And what's that?"

"This!" Remus launched himself at the other boy and knocked the wand out of his hands.

"You greasy, lying, slime ball!" Remus shouted as he pummeled Snape's face. Snape tried to protect himself but Remus was stronger, and add his unbalanced behavior, Snape didn't stand a chance. Remus stopped to wipe the sweat off his forehead and Snape took this opportunity to push the Gryffindor off and get the upper hand.

Snape punched Remus in the face and kicked him in the side. Remus coughed and spit out blood while clutching his side. Snape then hit him in the stomach. Remus doubled over and elbowed Snape in the nose. They continued to scratch and hit at each other, not noticing that breakfast had let out.

"What-what is this?" The voice of Minerva McGonagall asked. Remus didn't let up and neither did Snape who was punching Remus' stomach.

"Whoa, Remus, stop!" James called as he and Sirius rushed forward and pulled him off the other boy. Remus struggled against their holds but eventually calmed down enough for them to loosen up.

"I would have never expected this from you Remus Lupin. There is no excuse," Professor McGonagall said, looking pointedly at Remus. "No excuse. You have a week's detention with me, same for you Mr. Snape. Now get to class." With that she stalked off.

"Remus, are you alright?" Sirius asked, using part of his robes to wipe the blood off Remus' face.

"Yea, I'm fine."

"Look, buddy, it's not that I'm not extremely happy that someone finally gave Snape what was coming to him, but what got into you. I've never seen you so violent." James said as they helped Remus to Charms.

"No reason. No reason." Remus said tiredly, tripping over his feet. Sirius and James looked at each other and a silent vow was made between them. They were going to find out what was wrong with Remus today, no matter what it took.


End file.
